1. Field of the Invention
The invention pertains to computer resource management and access systems, and in particular remote access to files stored in different locations.
2. Background Information
An individual's home or work computer is typically used a central repository for information. Often, however, individuals do not work at the same physical site, or much less with their repository computer at their fingertips. Rather, an individual will work at one or more locations remote from their home or work computer, and, the computer being the central repository for information, the user will need files or information stored in their repository computer.
There are a number of known solutions to this problem. The most common solution is the use of large file servers residing on private networks, and some sort of network management software, such at Windows NT™. In such a system, the individual's files are stored in a large shared disk system so that while working in a local site, a user can logon and store and retrieve information on the shared disk, usually from a desktop computer at a remote site. While on the road, the individual may use a laptop computer that includes a wireless, PSTN, or LAN/WAN communications card, such as a PCMCIA card, to “dial up” and connect to the network and retrieve and store files.
Known software systems that are commercially available to this end include the Windows NT operating system and the Terminal Services Client, both by Microsoft Corp. in Redmond, Wash. Another solution is PCAnywhere™ software, available from Symantec Corp. in Cupertino, Calif. Both of these systems involve maintenance of a real-time connection between the client device (needing access to the files) and the server device (which is communicatively coupled to the files). U.S. Pat. No. 6,131,096, by Mason Ng et al. (which requires a special downloadable personal information manager executable), and U.S. Pat. No. 6,131,116, by Mark D. Riggins et al. (which requires special applet information before communications can be setup), both issued to Visto Corporation shows an equivalent system. Basically, these systems concern emulation of a desktop environment.
Other solutions we are aware of include WIPO publication WO01/59998, by Ash Gupte et al., for Etrieve, Inc. This reference discloses a method and system for wireless receipt of electronic messages or “e-mail”. In this system, e-mail messages are received by an e-mail server, where they are, as is usually done, stored with a unique record locator. After being saved, the e-mail server sends a notification signal to a wireless device, with the unique record locator, so that a user of the wireless device can initiate a “one-click” return a signal indicating that the user wishes to receive the e-mail at the wireless device from the e-mail server.
WIPO publication WO98/49625, by Jonathan R. Engelsma et al., for Motorola, Inc., discusses a system for accessing and transferring e-mail messages from a private computer to a multiple access wireless communication system. Particular to the Engelsma et al. system is an information delivery agent and an internet interface. The information delivery agent is controlled by a server. Here, information is retrieved via the information delivery agent, which communicates via hypertext transfer protocol, to an internet interface, and the internet interface, in turn, to the private computer. E-mail messages are converted to voice messages, and then the voice message is automatically relayed to a mobile device.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,108,711, by Christoper C. M. Beck, et al., issued to Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories, Inc., discusses a multi-media transaction processing system, designed to share files of various media types between various layers and multiple parties to a business transaction by recording and extracting information from transactions, querying records, and threading records together. The Beck et al. system appears to be targeted more toward managing interactions and work flow between parties than it is toward providing access to resources.
U.S. publication US2001/0023448, by Musa Hanhan, which says it is an improvement on the Beck et al. system, discusses a proxy system whereby a worker remote from a communication center operates a workstation at the communication center through a light client or computing device. The Hanhan system is quite similar to the Beck et al. system, but the Hanhan system is more focused on providing full and unfettered access to home-center data and services. To this end, Hanhan suggests that the proxy server establish and maintain a constant, real-time connection to a server or workstation at the home-center over a two-way data link, so that software and data can be operated and accessed, then transformed and sent to the light client.